House Upbraids State Dep’t for Iraq SecrecyLooks like David Satterfield was too late. The House of Representatives, upset with the State Department’s reluctance to publicly address corruption in the Iraqi government, voted 395-21 to rebuke Foggy Bottom, despite Satterfield’s admission yesterday that “corruption is a reality in Iraq.”
“The Bush administration is hiding the truth while seeking hundreds of billions of dollars and placing our troops in danger. And we cannot allow this to happen,” said Rep. Henry Waxman, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
Waxman sponsored the nonbinding resolution, which states that the administration abused its power by classifying U.S. assessments on corruption inside Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki’s government. The House agreed to the measure, 395-21.
“Five years ago abuse of the classification system got us into this war. It’s time for this abuse to end,” Waxman said.
It’s a nonbinding resolution, so all the State Department has to do is take note that the House thinks it’s been naughty. But maybe next time State officials will think twice before they reclassify publicly available documents.
